Saturday, February 25, 2012

It's Saturday night, and already Lucas is doing new things and trying new things. I wish time would slow down a bit. My baby is growing too fast.

Lee went and got a mesh bag so that Lucas can try fresh fruit and veggies. I was so excited to try it, but the only fresh anything that I had at the moment was an orange. Yes it was a bit sweet and sour, and Lucas was making faces like he didn't like it, but he sure couldn't stop eating it. Safe to say that I think he loved it.

What is this, mama?

I don't think I like it...

...but I can't stop eating it.

High Chair My Chair!

My mom never got a high chair for Lucas because she had something specific in mind. She wanted something more authentic rather than the plastic ones that we all have now. We have been looking for one that would go great with her decor. She always talked about wanting the old timey wooden high chairs. So for meal times at mimi and papa's have either been in his lounge chair or in his walker (which is challenging). When we feed him in his walker, he always wants to jump. Any time his feet touches the ground, Lucas has it in his head that he has to jump. It's quite funny and cute except when you are trying to feed him. By the time it's over, food is all over the floor, in his hair, and in my eyes. Why? The kid won't stop jumping. So why don't I use the lounge chair? Well it leans too far back, and I have this fear he may choke, and besides it does not have a tray like the walker. How about using a bumbo you ask? I hate that thing. It causes him to lean forward, and the tray is too difficult to use. Have the time it pops out and I'm tired with dealing with it.

Anyway, finally we have a high chair at mimi's and papa's! Yayyyyyyy!!!! We found an antique looking wooden high chair at Sheffield's Antique Mall in Collierville. It was a great price too! Lucas seemed to love it too!

What?

*Gasp* Who did this mess? Wasn't me...

Oh...alright...you caught me.

Lucas Got Your Tongue!

Lee and Dad started this tongue sticking out business. While Lucas sits facing them, they stick out their tongue while Lucas tries to grab at it, but he never is quite quick enough. So what does he do instead? He sticks his tongue out at them.

I know this is blurry, but it was too cute not to include.

I can stick out my tongue too, Papa.

Open your mouth. Let me get it!

I'm Crawling.........

and no I'm not. So close!

Poor thing wants to crawl so bad. He constantly gets up on his hands and knees and rocks. Sometimes he even lifts one knee like he's about to move it forward...and then he crashes forward to the floor. I think he has given up crawling forwards. I think crawling backwards constitutes as crawling...don't you?

High Flying Little Monkey

Lee and Dad installed Lucas's new swing underneath mom's arbor. I think we had more fun watching him in the swing than he did.

Ohhhhh this feels funny.

I think I like it, but not sure. I'll smile and pretend I do to keep them happy.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

I can not believe it has been 6 months already. It has been so much fun being a mommy to our precious baby boy. On Monday, February 20, 2012 Dustin Lucas Raney became official. On his birth certificate Lee and I are named his mama and daddy. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!

Our picture in the courtroom with Chancellor Arnold Goldin

Another picture plus Uncle Tony and Aunt Judith Ann

Lucas would not put down his bottle.

At the steps of the courthouse
What a beautiful day God made for my son's special day!

Teething-
He started teething at around 1 month with excessive drooling and chewing. We did not see any signs of teeth until he was almost 4 months old. Currently (as of 2/19/12) he has 5 teeth. 3 in a row at the bottom and 2 canines at top. My baby will look like a snaggle tooth.

Laughing-
The first time I heard him laugh was on my daddy's birthday (September 4, 2011). He was sound asleep in my arms. We were all watching tv at mom and dad's when all of a sudden we heard laughter. Lucas was laughing in his sleep. I bet angels were tickling his feet :)

Rolling-
He has slept on his stomach since he was 3 weeks old. He was able to lift and turn his head, but just in case, I "rigged" his head so that he couldn't turn it and sleep face down. His pediatrician said since he had acid reflux so bad that it would be safer if he slept on his stomach just in case he threw up in the night. I believe that sleeping on his stomach helped him to develop his upper body strength at an earlier age. He was able to lift himself up almost at 90 degrees by the time he was 2 months old. He then started rolling over at 3 months old. Every time I went to get him up in the mornings, he was on his back, but I never witnessed it until he was about 4 months old. Lee and I were playing with him upstairs on his play mat when he turned over. We both started screaming and clapping.

Sleeping in his own room-
Lucas for the most part slept in his bassinet right next to me in a cradle/wedge thing. Lee and I always said that Lucas would not be sleeping in bed with us. Well, sometimes, it was easier to put him in bed with me after his early morning feeding. He slept in his room (still in the bassinet) for the first night one week before I went back to work (I took 7 weeks off for maternity leave). He still woke up about every 3 hours for a feeding. My first 2 weeks of school was tiring. I do not know how I managed, but I did. Lee was great with grading my papers and entering them into our database. He didn't sleep through the night until fall break in the middle of October. My friends told me to try to let him cry it out. First night it was 20 minutes, 2nd night 20 minutes, 3rd night 15minutes, 4th night 5 minutes, and then he slept through the night for 10 hours. Even though he was in his big boy crib, he still slept in his cradle/wedge thingy that we put in his crib. He slept in it for about another month all the way up until he was too big. When he was ready for just the crib, he looked so small.

Cradle/Wedge Thingy

First night in his crib.

Sitting up-
We played around with sitting up when he was 4 months old. He was able to hold his head up so I decided to try him in his Bumbo seat with not much success at first.

After a couple of weeks we tried it again with better success.

Then during his 6 month shoot (5 1/2 months) with Jennifer Yoder and her daughter Norah and Julie Alberson and her daughter Piper, Lucas sat unassisted using the tripod method. Piper showed him how to do it.

(Side note: Piper was born a week before Lucas, and Norah was born 2 days before him).

Norah Yoder on his right and Piper Alberson on his left

No need to use hands for support (6 months old)

First baby food (Stage 1)-

During his 4 month check up, Lucas's pediatrician said that he is ready for stage 1 baby food because he was drinking more than 8 oz every 3 hours. I held off until Christmas break to work with him. Again it was not a success. He did not like the rice, he did not like the oatmeal, or the fruit in his rice or oatmeal. I think it was a texture thing. He made the funniest faces. In January we switched to a new babysitter that was closer to school, and one of my closest friend's baby was also going there. His babysitter, Julie, is sooooooo wonderful, and he loves her so much. We do too! She got him started eating baby food. Since then, he has been an eating machine!!!!! Here are some pictures and videos of his baby food experience.

Not sure about the green beans

Hmmm...I think I like this sweet potato.

Holding his own bottle-
My mom bought a contraption (through Zulilly) that teaches babies to hold their own bottle. He started using it over Christmas break. Then a couple weeks later around his 5th month birthday, he was able to hold his bottle all by himself. This really helped me especially in the mornings while I was getting ready for school. Of course at night time, I still like to hold his bottle for him. After all he's my baby and he's growing up way too fast!

Through great friends I was able to find Mrs. Julie to babysit Lucas. Our other babysitter was great, but she was unable to watch Lucas Monday through Friday. She only could do part time. So we found Mrs. Julie who could take him all five days a week. AND Lucas would grow up with Livia Willoughby there. And it's right next to school.

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About Me

My wonderful husband and I have been married since June of 2001. We've been inseparable since Aug. 24, 1997. We have been blessed to have found each other at such a young age. We are definitely soul mates. This blog tells our story of the journey that we took to get to our sweet baby. Perhaps one day this blog will bring hope to somebody. JEREMIAH 29:11 "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."
Matt 18:19-20 “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
Hebrew 11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”